Geneva / Bern

Keeping in mind how small a country Switzerland is, we still managed to pack a LOT of cities/stops into our trip. Starting with 1 night in Geneva, our impression was that it was EXPENSIVE. At the time, I think we spent what amounted to $50USD on 2 burgers and 1 beer. The high-end shops (think: watches, bags, and shoes) were littering the main shopping center. The next day we drove the 2-ish hours to Bern - stopping in Lausanne for a stroll by the lake, and in Gruyere for a delicious, traditional raclette lunch. If you’ve never tried raclette, it consists of melted cheese, served with small potatoes, onions and pickles and is DEFINITELY worth trying! We spent the night in Bern which I simply remember as being a walled city BUT…fun fact…Einstein apparently lived in Bern for 2 years and developed his Theory of Relativity there.

Lauterbrunnen (Interlaken Valley) / Wengen

From Bern, it was only about a 50 minute drive to Interlaken, and another 20 up the valley to Lauterbrunnen, where we’d park our car for the next 2 nights and hop on a tram to get to our next stop. After doing some research, we had chosen Wengen (over Murren or Grindelwald) as our home for the next 2 nights. Wengen was larger than Murren, but smaller than Grindelwald. This picturesque Swiss town doesn’t allow cars, so we made our way via tram, train, gondola, and by foot for the next 2 days. Our lodging was the lovely Berghaus Hotel.

We hiked ALL over the valley, including going to the top of the Jungfrau - a highlight of the trip!

Hiking on the Eiger Trail, which took us just beneath the famous “North Face” of the Eiger peak on our way to Grindelwald for a day hike, was also memorable.

We also hiked from Murren along “The North Face Trail” - which had beautiful views, and the sound of cowbells as the cattle ranged the mountainsides.

Ascona

We spent less than 24 hours in the tiny lakeside town of Ascona. Due to its proximity to Lake Como, it was the perfect overnight spot for us before crossing the border into Italy to meet up with friends. This charming locale had a beautiful waterfront and endless tiny streets to wander through.

St. Gallen / Appenzell Region

Our expat friends were living in St. Gallen at the time, so our visit to them included exploring St. Gallen, doing a day hike up Ebenalp (including stopping for beer and rosti at a restaurant built in the hillside) and stopping at the Appenzeller Cheese Factory on the way home.

Summary

We loved Switzerland, even though we crammed too much into this particular trip. The scenery, activities, and efficiency of the country were phenomenal. Its proximity to so many other countries also makes it particularly appealing for future travel! Sadly, we weren’t particularly impressed with the food - except for the raclette - and (at the time), the prices were quite high. We also noticed on a number of occasions we were being stared at by locals for what seemed like an uncomfortable length of time. The staring didn’t feel threatening in any way - just curious. Clearly we looked like tourists, but we didn’t know what could cause this type of social behavior. As we learned from our expat friends, this is actually a cultural norm for the Swiss - so what we deemed to be uncomfortable, was perfectly normal in their eyes. All-in-all, we’d definitely return to Switzerland again, likely to explore more of the southern Alps region.

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”

– Bill Bryson